KATU News Portland recently profiled CEDAR's efforts in recruiting participants for the Pathfinder 2 multi-cancer early detection blood test. To expand the study's reach, CEDAR has teamed up with Salem Health to recruit participants in the Salem area, building on the team's recruitment efforts in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties. The blood test searches for genomic clues of an actual cancer, including cancers that currently lack early detection tools—including pancreatic and ovarian cancers. “People around Oregon, and in the greater Salem area, will be among the first to have the opportunity to be tested,” says Nima Nabavizadeh, M.D., principal investigator on the Pathfinder 2 study. “Being at the forefront of generating new knowledge means we have the ability to bring it to our communities faster.” More information about the study, including how to participate, is available here.

CEDAR Member and Assistant Professor of Radiation Medicine Aaron Grossberg is one of three OHSU scientists to receive the 2023 Faculty Excellence and Innovation Awards, made possible by the Silver Family Innovation Fund. As part of the award, Grossberg will receive $750,000 over three years to expand his laboratory's ability to study how cancer affects the metabolism of fat and muscle, and identify new drug targets to prevent or reverse the process of cancer-related weight loss, also known as cachexia. This metabolic condition prevents the body's normal ability to gain weight and preserve strength, adversely impacting patients' fitness to receive the best treatments for their cancer.

OHSU Innovates has honored CEDAR Postdoctoral Scholar Matthew Rames as one of three Early Career Innovators for 2023. The award is given annually to a student, postdoctoral researcher or resident that shows a passion for innovation and works on novel technologies that tackle real-world problems. The honor recognizes Rames' work with the OHSU Technology Transfer Office on a project aimed at developing new ways of conjugating labels to antibodies for multiplex imaging. His work will be celebrated at the 2023 OHSU Innovation Awards on March 22, 2023. Rames earned his Ph.D. at OHSU in 2022.

The Salem Statesman Journal recently recognized OHSU's efforts at bringing clinical research to local communities, including recruiting more diverse participant populations. CEDAR's participation in the Pathfinder 2 study, which is investigating a multi-cancer early detection test via a simple blood draw, was among the effort detailed, CEDAR's Pathfinder 2 recruitment has reached beyond Portland, utilizing subsites in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties, where over 200 participants were enrolled in the study. Twenty percent were of enrollees were of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and 100 percent of them were rural. All Pathfinder 2 materials are also available in Spanish. “We have multiple anecdotes of patients whose lives have certainly been changed in positive ways with the Pathfinder study,” said Nima Nabavizadeh, a radiation oncologist and principal investigator of the Pathfinder study. More information about the study, including how to participate, is available here.

The Biomedical Engineering Society's Cell and Molecular Bioengineering Conference selected CEDAR's Carolyn Schutt Ibsen, Ph.D., for its 2023 Rising Star Junior Faculty Award for her outstanding work in the field of cell and molecular bioengineering. She will be recognized at a gala dinner and provide a podium presentation in a special session at the annual conference in January. This special interest group brings together researchers with diverse scientific and clinical interests with a common goal of understanding and engineering molecules, cells, their interactions, and microenvironments in the pursuit of controlling biological processes and improving the practice of medicine.

Five CEDAR interns from OHSU's Summer Equity Research Program (Shawn Ichikawa, Chivon Ou, Shelby Sawyer, Matthew Tokuda and Gavin Magill) competed in the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGem) Competition in Paris from October 26 to October 28. The team developed its cancer early detection project over the summer with CEDAR mentors Michael Brasino, Joshua Saldivar, and Carlos Origel Alberto Marmolejo. The project seeks to create a more accessible, cost-effective alternative to the present models of detecting the overexpression of c-Myc mRNA. Their aim was to create a cancer early detection diagnostic tool that most clinicians can acquire in order to determine if their patients may have cancer by taking their patient’s blood sample and inputting that sample onto an agar plate with bioengineered E. coli bacteria, which is designed to proliferate only in the presence of cancerous c-Myc mRNA. You can read more about their project at iGem's Wiki.

CEDAR Graduate Student Katherine Huynh the initial cohort of the AstraZeneca Partners of Choice Mentorship. She will be connected with experienced mentors from AstraZeneca who will teleconference with her monthly to provide first-hand knowledge about drug development and guidance in preparing for career opportunities in academia and beyond. She will also travel to Cambridge, England, to present research at the 2023 Partners of Choice network meeting.

The Pathfinder 2 study—designed to evaluate the performance of a multi-cancer early detection test that can detect 50 types of cancer through a simple blood draw—has recently expanded across Oregon. OHSU and CEDAR have collaborated with several Oregon health systems to make the study, and test, available to residents across the state. This greatly increases the study's accessibility, particularly for Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American/Alaska Native communities. It now covers residents in Coos Bay, Salem Bend, Hood River, and the Dalles, as well as surrounding areas. “Having the opportunity to bring this cutting-edge technology to more people across Oregon is so rewarding,” says Tiffani Howard, Ph.D., scientific liaison to GRAIL and research assistant director for community outreach and engagement, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. “The Knight Cancer Institute is dedicated to serving people across our entire state. We know it’s not feasible for everyone who is interested in participating in this cancer early detection study to travel to Portland; now they have options closer to home.” The study is open to those who are aged 50 or older, have never been diagnosed with cancer or have been cancer-free for at least three years. Contact them at pathfinder@ohsu.edu or 503-418-8150, or visit the study webpage.

CEDAR researchers have devised an accurate and novel way to test blood to see if a pre-cancerous condition is escalating to outright cancer—potentially enabling treatment early in tumor development when cancer is more likely to be curable. The team, led by Thuy Ngo, a member of CEDAR and associate professor of molecular and medical genetics in the OHSU School of Medicine, developed a test that looks for cell-free messenger RNA biomarkers to distinguish multiple myeloma blood samples from non-cancer samples with 90% accuracy, and multiple myeloma from its pre-malignant condition with 100% accuracy. They were able to distinguish liver cancer samples from non-cancer with 93 to 100% accuracy, and liver cancer from cirrhosis with 100% accuracy. The research, published in NPJ Precision Oncology, lays the foundation for developing inexpensive assays that measure levels of cell-free RNA in blood for a small panel of genes that can differentiate cancer from pre-malignant conditions; Ngo and OHSU have filed a patent on their findings. More information on this research is available from OHSU News.

Cancer early detection research can transform patient survival, but there are still significant obstacles preventing the translation of new research findings into the clinical setting, assert leaders of the field, including CEDAR's Sadik Esener and the Knight Cancer Institute's Lisa Coussens, in a new publication in the journal Science. Around half of all cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage, despite the fact that treatments stand the best chance at improving survival when implemented early. “Late-stage detection of cancer is a global problem that is exacerbated in resource poor settings, demonstrating that equity is a considerable challenge,” the authors observe. “Patients diagnosed with later-stage cancer can miss the window for curative intervention, and expensive later-stage systemic treatments are often associated with severe side effects and worse outcomes.” At CEDAR, researchers are investigating cancer's early changes, and applying this knowledge to work on new, inexpensive screening tests, determining which cancers need vigorous early intervention, and directing precision therapies to reduce drug toxicity. You can read more about the article's findings on the Knight Cancer Institute's Cancer Translated blog.

CEDAR Postdoctoral Scholar Sebnem (Ece) Eksi recently spoke with the Knight Cancer Institute's Cancer Translated blog, discussing findings that could help identify more dangerous prostate cancers earlier, giving researchers new tools to stop them. Only a fraction of prostate cancers become life-threatening, but predicting which ones is challenging. Eksi and her team found that two signaling proteins used by nerve cells can become active in and around prostate tumors, and may play a role in driving the cancers to be deadly. She discussed the discovery, published in Nature Communications, with Cancer Translated, including how the findings could help molecular biologists working on other cancer types.

CEDAR Member Kemal Sonmez was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus for 2021 by the University of Maryland College Park, "for their leadership and meritorious contributions to the field of engineering, their humanitarian efforts, and the application of their engineering education to other disciplines." Sonmez received his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland College Park.

CEDAR graduate student Kylene Lowrey took home first place in the poster session at the All Oregon Bioengineering Symposium. She presented "3D Bioprinting Ultrasound-Responsive Materials for Cellular Manipulation in 3D Tissue Constructs," which also included CEDAR authors Katherine Huynh, Luiz Bertassoni and Carolynn Schutt. At CEDAR, Lowrey works on creating cell cultures in hydrogels and using ultrasound to facilitate localized release of microbubbles in these hydrogels. She worked for several years in materials science, specifically creating unique inorganic nanoarchitectures.

CEDAR researchers Jose Luis Montoya Mira and Ajay Sapre, alongside teammates Kyle Gustafson, Gene Tu, Jared Fischer, Roger Chiu and Sadik Esener published "Label-free enrichment of rare unconventional circulating neoplastic cells using a microfluidic dielectrophoretic sorting device" in Communications Biology on September 24. The team reported on the development of a label-free dielectrophoretic microfluidic platform facilitating enrichment of CHCs in a high-throughput and rapid fashion by depleting healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). This represents a promising approach to non-invasively analyzing tumor cells from patients.

Thuy Ngo, Ph.D., has received a Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program Idea Award from the Department of Defense for a project to identify blood biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment monitoring of liver cirrhosis and cancer. Ngo is an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Medical Genetics in the OHSU School of Medicine and a member of CEDAR, the Knight Cancer Institute's Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center. Liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma, is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Current clinical blood tests have low sensitivity to detect liver cancer at early stages and are not effective for the reliable diagnosis of cirrhosis, which puts people at high risk of liver cancer. Patients with liver cancer are often diagnosed with inoperable disease. The Department of Defense award — $769,996 total — is supporting Ngo's proposal to identify cell-free RNA biomarkers (including messenger RNA, circular RNA, transposable elements and microbial transcripts) that can detect cirrhosis and monitor its progression to liver cancer. 

OHSU physician-scientist Aaron Grossberg, M.D., Ph.D. was among the first recipients of the new Science of the Patient Award from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. Grossberg is a co-investigator alongside principle investigator Daniel L. Marks, M.D., Ph.D. on research investigating the wasting syndrome cachexia in pancreatic cancer. In advanced cancer and other diseases, cachexia can erode quality of life and hasten death. Marks and Grossberg are focusing on the role of the autonomic and neuroendocrine stress responses in pancreatic cancer cachexia. Marks is a Professor of Pediatrics and Senior Associate Dean for Research in the OHSU School of Medicine. Grossberg is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Medicine with a joint appointment with CEDAR and the Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care. The Science of the Patient Award was established to stimulate groundbreaking research exploring the influence of biology of the patient on cancer genesis, development, treatment, and survivorship.

Carolyn Schutt Ibsen, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the OHSU School of Medicine and a member of CEDAR. In a recent interview with the Knight Cancer Institute's Cancer Translated blog, she discusses her research, which investigates the use of "energy-responsive" biomaterials that can be controlled remotely using ultrasound to model cancer progression, as well as to guide the repair of living tissue. In the wide-ranging conversation with CEDAR Postdoctoral Scholar Kathryn Baker, Ph.D., Schutt Ibsen discusses her work's potential the challenges of modeling cancer progression, and how CEDAR's multi-disciplinary environment is critical for her research.

The Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University is one of five sites across the country selected by GRAIL, Inc., a health care company dedicated to detecting cancer early, to join a study designed to improve early detection of cancer. The PATHFINDER study will evaluate the implementation of an investigational early detection test that has been designed to test many types of cancer through a single blood draw, into clinical practice for the first time.

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, together with collaborators across the U.S. and the U.K., announced the formation of the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection, or ACED. This new alliance is formed by the coordinated efforts of Cancer Research UK, Canary Center at Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, University College London (UCL) and the University of Manchester.

Women in the Knight Cancer Institute are making significant advancements in their fields. Onward, the magazine of the OHSU Foundation, profiled nine of them. Tackling a problem as big as cancer is often a matter of moving one step forward, two steps back. It requires patience and persistence and an unwavering belief that the answer is out there — at least, that’s the way Beverly Emerson, Ph.D., sees it.

Few people know the wide variety of careers available to those who may be interested in working in the field of cancer. Knight Cancer Institute scientists share their experiences, discuss their work, and talk about the ways they mentor and develop young people so they can be a part of the effort to end cancer as we know it. Knight School is a series of community-facing science talks designed to educate, entertain, and inspire with stories told by Knight Cancer researchers, clinicians and patients.

Cancer population health researcher Ruth Etzioni, Ph.D., joins the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute as a distinguished scientist at the center for Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research. She will be responsible for leading a collaborative research project on epidemiology that advances cancer early detection at CEDAR. Etzioni is a leader in the field of cancer epidemiology, with a distinguished record of scientific and technical accomplishments.

Learn about the history of cancer treatment, what's possible today and what's next in treatment and therapy as we work to end cancer as we know it. Watch the Knight School session.

Hisham Mohammed, Ph.D., is an associate scientist at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR) center, one of the largest initiatives in the world focused on research to enable the detection of cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage. At the University of Cambridge, UK, while working as a Ph.D. student, Mohammed invented a method to analyze and understand protein complexes more efficiently — a method now being used in labs across the world. Importantly, this method allowed him to discover a pivotal role for the hormone progesterone in regulating breast cancer.

Leaders at the Knight Cancer Institute know that scientific discoveries are not guaranteed, even with $1 billion to spend looking for answers. They also know that some of the world’s most dramatic discoveries happened by accident, when scientists were looking for something completely different than what they ended up finding. Collaborative, multi-disciplinary work — a kind of intellectual cross-pollination that can lead to surprising results — is the goal at OHSU.

Tomasz Beer, M.D., joined CEDAR as chief medical officer. In this new role, he brings a clinician’s perspective to early detection research and guide scientists’ understanding of patient needs. Beer will continue to serve as Deputy Director of the Knight Cancer Institute. He will also advise on the selection of diseases CEDAR targets and ensure research strategy is designed to yield improvements in human health, while fostering collaborations between CEDAR scientists and the Knight Cancer Institute’s clinical research community.

Paul Spellman, Ph.D., joined the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research center as a co-director. In this new role at CEDAR, Spellman will mentor young scientists, provide strategic guidance for the center, review scientific proposals, and help align the center’s scientific direction. Spellman is a professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics in the OHSU School of Medicine and co-leader of the Quantitative Oncology Program in the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

Sadik Esener, Ph.D., is building a multidisciplinary team to reveal the evolutionary biology of cancer to develop low-cost screening, determine which cancers to aggressively treat and leverage precision therapies to minimize toxicity. The Wendt Family Chair professor of biomedical engineering in the OHSU School of Medicine and director of the Knight Cancer Institute Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research center (CEDAR), Dr. Esener and his team's goal is to find and eliminate lethal cancers at the earliest stage with little harm to the patient.